They aren't gone. If you grew up watching The Godfather or bingeing The Sopranos, you might think the Italian-American Mafia is either a cinematic relic or a group of old guys shouting at pigeons in Little Italy. It’s a common assumption. People think the FBI cleaned house in the '80s and '90s and that was that. But the truth is a lot more complicated—and a lot quieter. When people ask do the five families still exist, the short answer is yes. The long answer involves a massive shift from flashy suits and public hits to white-collar crime, encrypted apps, and a desperate struggle to stay relevant in a world that’s constantly watching.
The Genovese, Gambino, Lucchese, Bonanno, and Colombo families still have "buttons." They still have hierarchies. They just don't want you—or the Feds—to know about them.
The State of the "Commission" in 2026
The Commission was once the supreme court of the underworld. Formed by Lucky Luciano in 1931, it was a board of directors meant to stop the bloody turf wars. Today? It’s basically a ghost. While the heads of the five families theoretically still have a seat at the table, meeting in person is a suicide mission for their freedom.
Law enforcement technology has gotten scary good. We're talking about directional microphones that can pick up whispers through windows and AI-driven surveillance that flags unusual gatherings of known associates. Because of this, the "Five Families" operate more like five independent franchises than a unified conglomerate.
The Genovese family remains the "Ivory Tower" of the mob. They’ve always been the smartest. While other families were getting decimated by informants, the Genovese maintained a strict "code of silence" that actually worked. They’re still considered the most powerful, largely because they stayed away from the flashy, "Teflon Don" style of leadership that eventually sank John Gotti.
Who Is Actually Running the Show?
It’s hard to pin down names because the modern mob loves "acting" bosses.
Take the Gambino family. After the 2019 assassination of Frank Cali in front of his Staten Island home—which, surprisingly, turned out to be a personal dispute rather than a mob hit—the family went deep underground. Domenico Cefalù and Lorenzo Mannino are names that investigators keep popping up, but these guys aren't holding press conferences. They’re reportedly focusing on international drug trafficking and massive construction racketeering.
Then you have the Bonannos. They were kicked off the Commission in the '80s because of the Donnie Brasco scandal. Honestly, they’ve had a rough go of it. Under Michael "The Nose" Mancuso, they’ve tried to rebuild, but internal friction and a steady stream of "rats" have kept them on the defensive.
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The Lucchese and Colombo families are the smaller siblings. The Colombos, in particular, have been hollowed out by decades of internal wars and recent sweeps by the Eastern District of New York. In 2021, nearly the entire leadership of the Colombo family was indicted for trying to extort a labor union’s health fund. It felt like a throwback to the 1970s, proving that even as they try to modernize, they often fall back on the "greatest hits" of labor racketeering.
How They Make Money Now (It’s Not Just Protection Rackets)
The days of walking into a mom-and-pop shop and demanding "protection" money are mostly over. It’s low reward and high risk. If a shopkeeper has a Ring camera and a smartphone, a mobster is one viral video away from a life sentence.
Instead, they’ve moved into the digital shadows.
Illegal gambling has moved from smoky backrooms to offshore websites. A single "per head" shop can generate millions in a month with almost zero physical footprint. They also love Medicare fraud. It’s clean, it’s lucrative, and it doesn't involve carrying a snub-nosed revolver.
Construction is still their bread and butter. You’d be shocked how much the "mob tax" still influences big projects in New York City. By controlling certain unions or supply chains—like carting and cement—they can skim off the top of multi-billion dollar developments. It’s sophisticated. It requires lawyers and accountants more than it requires hitmen.
The New Blood Problem
Why would a 22-year-old in 2026 join the Mafia?
That’s the existential crisis facing the Five Families. In the past, the neighborhood looked up to the "wise guy." He had the best car, the best clothes, and everyone showed him respect. Now, that same 22-year-old wants to be a crypto influencer or a tech entrepreneur. The prestige is gone.
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To combat this, the families have started recruiting more heavily from Italy—specifically the 'Ndrangheta and the Camorra. These "Zips," as they're colloquially called, are often more disciplined and less likely to flip than the American-born kids who grew up on Instagram.
Do the Five Families Still Exist? The Reality of Law Enforcement
The FBI's focus shifted massively after 9/11 toward counter-terrorism. For a while, the mob had some breathing room. But the pendulum has swung back. The RICO Act (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) remains the most lethal weapon in the government's arsenal. It allows prosecutors to link a boss to a crime committed by a low-level soldier, even if the boss never touched a gun.
Is the mob "winning"? No. But they are surviving.
They’ve adapted to the era of Big Data. They use encrypted messaging apps like Signal or Telegram, though even those aren't foolproof. They've also learned to keep their "circles" smaller. Instead of large social clubs, they meet in city parks, during walks, or in moving cars.
The Families: A Quick Breakdown of the Modern Landscape
The Genovese Family: Still the gold standard of organized crime. They have roughly 200 made members and hundreds of associates. Their power lies in their invisibility. They don't have "social clubs" with neon signs anymore.
The Gambino Family: They are heavily involved in international operations. They’ve maintained strong ties to Sicilian clans, facilitating a global pipeline for drugs and money laundering. They are currently seen as a stable, "business-first" organization.
The Lucchese Family: They took a massive hit in the late 2010s with the "East Coast LCN" case. Their leadership has been in flux, and they seem to be struggling with internal discipline more than the others.
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The Bonanno Family: Despite their rocky history, they remain one of the larger families. They are active in the outer boroughs and Long Island, focusing heavily on traditional rackets like loansharking and bookmaking.
The Colombo Family: Consistently the most unstable. Between the wars of the '90s and the massive 2021 indictments, they are the "weakest" of the five, though still dangerous to anyone who owes them money.
Why the Public is Still Obsessed
The fascination with the Five Families persists because they represent a specific kind of American mythos. But we have to separate the myth from the reality. The reality is a bunch of men in their 60s and 70s trying to navigate a world that has largely moved on.
They are the ultimate "middlemen." As long as there is a need for high-interest loans that banks won't give, or a desire for illegal gambling, there will be a place for the Five Families. They provide services that legitimate society deems illegal but people still want.
How to Spot the Influence Today
You won't see a shootout on Mulberry Street. You might, however, notice that a certain construction bid seems strangely high, or a specific trucking company has a monopoly on a route for no apparent reason. That’s the modern Mafia.
They are in the "cracks" of the economy.
If you're looking for actionable ways to understand or track this, pay attention to the Eastern and Southern District of New York court dockets. That is where the real story is written. When an indictment drops, it usually lists 20 to 30 names and details exactly how they were skimming money from a union or running an illegal casino in a basement in Queens.
The Five Families exist, but they are a shadow of the empire they held in the 1950s. They are survivors, adapting to a digital, surveilled world by becoming more like the corporations they once extorted.
Next Steps for Research:
- Monitor Federal Indictments: Check the Department of Justice (DOJ) website for "La Cosa Nostra" press releases. This is the most accurate way to see who is currently being prosecuted.
- Follow Specialist Journalists: Reporters like Jerry Capeci (Gang Land News) have spent decades cultivating sources within the Five Families and provide the most granular updates on leadership changes.
- Study the RICO Act: Understanding how 18 U.S.C. §§ 1961–1968 works will give you a clear picture of why the mob had to change its structure to survive.
- Look at the "Ndrangheta Connection: Research how the Calabrian Mafia is currently partnering with the New York families, as this is the biggest trend in modern organized crime.